Rich in nutrients and incredibly versatile, Cornish sardines are thriving
again after going into almost terminal decline.

Nearly midnight, and the Buccaneer fishing boat is prowling the Cornish seas, hunting sardines. So far, it’s not been a good night. “Full moon,” shrugs skipper Pete Bullock, “the light sends them into deeper water.”

The screens from the boat’s sonar and radar devices give the wheelhouse the appearance of a James Bond film set, but there the glamour ends.

In fact, after nearly five hours at sea with the diesel engine throbbing and the boat pitching, “sick and tired” is taking on a whole new meaning for me.

Suddenly, Pete spots a red mark on the sonar. It’s a shoal of sardines, and the two other fishermen aboard, Matthew Round and James Roberts, swing into action. Floodlights illuminate the deck and a circular curtain of net called a purse seine is winched into the dark water.

Once submerged, a pulley gathers the bottom together to make a bag. The net is then raised so that Matthew, leaning over the edge of the boat, can scoop the fish out with what looks like a giant tea strainer.

“It’s a gentler method than trawling and the fish caught are better quality,” explains Ally Dingwall, the bluff Scots marine biologist also aboard.

According to Ally, who is fisheries manager for Sainsbury’s, much of this catch will reach the fish counters in as little as 24 hours. Not as good as buying the fish straight off the boat, but pretty impressive none the less.

He’s relieved to have found some fish: “Customers don’t understand that when we don’t have any in stock, it’s not some warehouse failure, it’s simply because there weren’t any to catch.”

Flickering and glittering, the silvery fish are poured into a giant ice box. It’s a beautiful sight. Cornish sardines are at their best now, fat and abundant, and happily they’ve been cleared for the coveted Marine Stewardship Council certification, which makes them among the most sustainable fish to eat.

It’s easy to start preaching about oily fish, omega-3s and how we all need to eat more for healthy heart and brains. But that misses the point.

If those pesky bones put you off, then sardines are among the easiest fish to bone before cooking (there are instructions below). And you won’t have to spend five hours waiting for them.

SARDINE SAVVY

Choose: Fresh sardines have bright eyes, not sunken ones, and red rather than brown gills. The whole fish is silver, not bloody. The flesh should still be fairly firm, with no strong fishy smell.

Clean: Wash the sardines in cold water, rubbing off any scales, particularly around the shoulders. Clean the sink with cold water, since hot water will make the scales stick.

Gut: With a pair of kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut open the belly. Pull out the innards with your fingers. Wash the sardine cavities well, rinsing away any blood.

Bone: First gut the sardines as above, then cut off the heads. Lay the fish with its open belly down on a board, so that the belly flaps are spread out on either side. Press down firmly along the middle, right down to the tail, to loosen the backbone. Turn the fish over and pull out the backbone and attached bones. Feel for any other bones and pull them out with your fingers or tweezers. Cook open or “butterflied” or refolded into a sardine shape again, perhaps with some stuffing.

Fillet: Gut and bone them as above. Snip off the tail and cut the two fillets apart, trimming away any untidy bits.

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